by Jay Penner
“The isolation in the cabin was a comfort for the first three days, and then we could take it no more.”
They laughed. We sat on worn wood stools around a little meal table. Eurydice joined us, and the men kept a respectful distance unsure if she was high born. The meal was broth and salted fish, it stank, but we were grateful for the hospitality.
Even the lousy beer tasted excellent. Conversations in the previous meals centered on our personal lives and military experiences. Nothing that was particularly interesting. But today I wanted to explore the legends in this region to see if I could glean anything useful.
I turned to the Captain. “So how active is this trade route?”
“Very active. This is not new, it has existed for thousands of years,” remarked Meurius.
“Egypt sends grain, gold, papyrus, ivory. Greece sends wine, olive oil, pottery,” added Theocydes.
“Has Egypt always owned these routes? I have heard of fantastical stories of the great Pharaohs.”
Meurius made a dismissive sound. Who could surpass the Greeks? “Exaggerated stories. Some Pharaohs traded with Phoenicians in Tyre and Sidon. Legends say there were, long ago, even greater seafaring nations.”
Eurydice’s eyes connected with mine for just a fleeting moment. “What seafaring nations? Weren’t our forefathers, the Myceneans, and the Ionians the lords of the sea?”
Theocydes expanded his chest and furrowed his brows like a teacher imparting great wisdom to his ignorant pupils. “Yes, they were good seafarers. But there was another group, small but powerful, and controlled the waters. They influenced our forefathers. They traded with most ancient posts.”
“Never heard of them.”
“They only exist in memories and stories told from father to son.”
“What happened to them?”
“No one knows. The underworld opened and swallowed them!” Theocydes laughed and looked around. No one joined him.
Meurius shook his head at his lieutenant’s flippant answer.
“The veterans of the sea talk of a story where these ancient men’s greed angered the gods, and a great fire came upon them.”
My heart began to beat faster, but I kept my poise. Eurydice spoke for the first time.
“I heard a similar fable in my childhood, what is yours?” she asked, shifting her mesmerizing eyes between the men. Theocydes now felt the urge to share his knowledge. I was not about to stop him.
“You must tell me your legend, Eurydice. I am sure it is most interesting.”
Lay off the charms, old man.
“A man must show his wares first,” she said, batting her eyelids. It was the most shameless flirtation, and we all knew it. Theocydes laughed, and Meurius shrugged.
“The stories say the sea people became very wealthy through plunder and dishonesty. They mistreated the people they traded with. One day, the enraged gods brought fire upon them and destroyed their empire. Their peoples vanished from history.”
That was interesting, but nothing particularly groundbreaking. My spirit fell. But Eurydice would not let go.
“That is not much of a legend. Not even interesting.”
Meurius laughed, and Theocydes feigned outrage. He rolled his eyes, threw back his luxurious graying hair, and scratched his beard.
“Well, it seems the lady wants to hear the bombastic stories rather than realistic ones!”
“No one likes to hear boring stories,” she retorted.
“Agreed. Let me tell you the fantastic story about what happened to these so-called masters of the sea.”
My ears perked up again. I took another swig of the beer and nodded at Meurius, who encouraged his lieutenant. “Well, Theo, they want to hear, and we have nowhere to go,” he said, gesturing at the blue expanse all around us. The Sun was beginning to set, and it was exquisite.
“Long ago there was a great Pharaoh named Sakho-pet—these Egyptians and their names!” He shook his head, and Meurius agreed.
“The invaders raided the Egyptian coasts. Their boats were five times as tall, ten times as long, and ten times faster than the Pharaoh’s. They harassed the Egyptian navy, the farmers, and traders all the time.”
He grinned at the incredulity, and we smiled along.
“The people rose in revolt against the Pharaoh, what kind of a God was he if could not stand up to these heathens?”
“No good, no good at all,” I said and swallowed a large piece of fish.
“So, he tried fighting them, to no avail. Then he tried negotiating. He sent two of his sons, ten of his finest Generals, his beloved daughter as a hand in marriage. He also tried to bribe them with gold and silver.”
“The Pharaoh appears not of sound mind—" I began, Eurydice slapped my wrist and Meurius held a finger to his lip.
“Keep your mouth shut and listen. This is a legend!” admonished Theocydes. But his eyes sparkled with mirth.
“The king of the sea invaders was a tyrant and saw no point in negotiating from a position of strength. He displayed great cruelty on the negotiating party. First, he had the generals flayed in full view of the Egyptian navy and had their bodies thrown into the ocean. Then, disregarding counsel, he placed the sons in a cage, overhanging a cliff of their island city. They starved to death. As a final act of degradation, he had the princess stripped, whipped, and sent back in chains. Humiliated, she leaped to her death from the ship and became one with the sea.” Theocydes stared at us, willing us to imagine the horrors.
“What a nasty man,” I said. If there was a kernel of truth, it was despicable to mistreat negotiating parties. As ruthless Alexander was, he often treated the surrendering people with kindness.
Theocydes knew he had a captive audience. The attention of a beautiful woman and a compatriot fueled his storytelling desires. The heavenly hues and the strong beer helped.
“This enraged the Pharaoh, but there was little he could do. The sea invaders dwelled on an island protected by an invincible navy. He tried to starve the tyrant’s kingdom by preventing grain shipment from the coasts. So, the sea invaders’ king wrought terrible havoc. Flying demons launched from the invader's boats and crashed into the Pharaoh’s towns.”
“What do you mean flying demons?” Eurydice asked, almost reading my mind.
Theocydes chuckled.
“Who knows? Legends say they came streaking from the sky and set great fires when they landed. Nothing like anyone has ever seen.”
I looked at Eurydice.
A wicked king.
Came from the Sea.
Terrible, almost magical weapons.
“This is much more interesting,” said Eurydice, playing with her hair, and pouting her lips.
This woman.
Theocydes continued, “That was not the end of it. The Sea Invaders often launched vials of foul sickness into the coastal populations. The people developed terrible afflictions, bled from their orifices, and died imploring gods. In despair, the Pharaoh decided to do the only thing left—appeal to the mercy of his gods.”
“Let Anubis swim up to this island and bite the king’s buttocks?” I said and drew angry admonitions from the captain and his lieutenant.
“Deon, let us not insult their gods.”
Chastened under six pairs of glaring eyes, I focused on the fish and hung my head.
“Anyway, he held a great feast at the palace, summoned his highest priests, and made a pact with their demon god.”
“Why not with the good god?”
Eurydice slapped my hand.
“I will crack your skull with that grain ladle” scolded Theocydes, but he continued. “Who knows Deon? I am telling you a story so listen. If the god destroyed the invaders, the Pharaoh would sacrifice ten thousand of his people.”
“He thought the sacrifice was better than the destruction of his entire Kingdom?” asked Eurydice.
“That would be my conclusion,” said Theocydes. The Sun was about to set, a small sliver of red peeked from the edges of the bou
ndless sea.
The Captain rose from his seat and went downstairs on a task, asking leave of us for the night.
Theocydes continued.
“Soon after the pact, the sea invaders island began to tremble. And Seth compelled an enormous fire to explode from beneath the seas and engulf them. Their king and citizens perished in three days, and their brutal reign ended. Egypt was free, and the seas were open for trade.”
“What happened to that island?” I asked.
“The legends say that the gods left behind a king’s blind eye. Whatever that means.”
“We will first encounter a small island on our way,” said Meurius.
“How small?”
“Too small. We have never seen any inhabitants there.”
I thought about that. There was no way a little island would be the sea invaders kingdom.
“But after that, we will encounter the one you want to disembark on.”
“Have you ever been there?”
“No. But I have heard there are some minor settlements.”
“Yes, that would be the one.”
If nothing else, we would use that as a point of transit to go on our way without entering Athens.
Meurius was kind enough to steer the ship to get closer to islands. We first saw two islands, one larger and one smaller, but of no exciting feature. Then Meurius steered the ship slightly eastward.
“We will reach before sunset, so get ready to disembark. Pack food and water. Take blankets as it gets chilly in the nights.”
We thanked him and prepared to leave the ship. Theocydes bid us goodbye, and we stood on the deck in anticipation. Tailwind was favorable. As the sun shone in cloudless skies, we saw the first distant visages of the much larger island ahead.
As we got closer, I noticed that this was an unusual formation. We were passing by a tiny island, but on either side, not too far away, were imposing cliffs in a giant arc.
My fingertips tingled, and I gestured Eurydice to join me. As the ship neared, the features became much clearer. The imposing cliffs were part of a large circular island. In the middle of this ark, under the seas, was the hazy feature of a sunken island.
My stomach tensed as I watched.
A big arc.
Sunken, hazy land in the middle under the sea.
How would it look like to a bird?
Like an eye.
Blind eye.
I remembered the words in the letter and muttered them.
My spine tingled, and I looked at Eurydice. She was staring at the land mass around and ahead of us. But I did not know if she had made the connection or even if she remembered the letter or poem.
I brushed her elbow, and she looked at me. I moved closer, bent my head low, and whispered.
As a warning to man’s greed, all that was left of a once glorious empire was an island, now but lifeless rock and ash, like a blind eye as it looked to the heavens in despair.
She jerked as if touched by a thorn and her eyes lit up.
We bid goodbye to Meurius and his crew.
“Whatever it is that you two are up to, I hope the gods bless you and keep you safe,” he said, and saluted me in a gesture of kinship.
“I am grateful for your support and wishes, Captain. May you have a prosperous life, and may Poseidon bless you and your family,” I said, as I saluted back.
We clutched our belongings as we made our way down the ship. We waved as they sailed, and then turned our heads to the massive towering cliffs.
There was an ancient, yet visible, worn path cut into the walls.
We reached the flat ground by sunset. The climb was exhausting, but the view was spectacular. We forgot our mission and other horrors and sat by the ledge to watch the sunset. It was getting cold, but holding Eurydice was an incredible feeling.
I hoped she felt the same.
What would become of us at the end of this journey was in the hands of powers beyond our comprehension. I would take Eurydice, and my beloved wife Apollonia, to some place where I could wed a second woman. As if she read my mind, Eurydice turned and smiled. We rested for the night after a dinner of dried meat and dates.
There was much to do.
In the morning, when we stood by the cliffs, it was clear that the island was a large arc, and we were at the center of it. Now that we were here, we had no plan on what we would do next. The clues would not be sitting there for us to find as soon as we landed.
If there were any clues at all.
Far ahead were desolate mountains. To either side was undulating land with sparse vegetation.
“Where should we go?” I asked.
“Well, we could go straight, or we could go to our left or the right.”
I slapped her bottom, and she squealed. “Let us go North. I see nothing ahead,” I said, we had to begin somewhere.
We turned left and walked North. The earth was a tapestry of colors—black, red, and white. The surface in many areas was white and pockmarked, like hardened ash. But the walk was not strenuous, and we kept pace. The sun inched up in the sky, and we saw no signs of habitation, though the path looked man-made.
I began to worry.
Are we going to die here?
Is this island cursed?
My head filled with these thoughts when Eurydice tugged on my hand. “Look.”
At a distance, the island curved sharply to our left, but up ahead on a low hill we saw several little dwellings.
“Thank you, Apollo!” I said and fell to my knees.
She rolled her eyes. “Were you that worried?”
“Yes, Eurydice, if you have not noticed we are somewhere in the middle of the Aegean Sea. And this island was once destroyed by divine fury.”
***
“You are not a bright traveler,” admonished Kadmos, the elder in this little hamlet of thirty people. We sat by the shade of his small hut. Three men had met us on our arrival, and after satisfying themselves that we meant no harm, they welcomed us.
They were Spartans and spoke my tongue with an amusing accent. Kadmos wore nothing but a loincloth and paid no heed to his jewels hanging down.
“Indeed, I am not,” I said, “but surely some ships would get us on our way to Phrygia?”
“No. There is little trade from here that makes it worthy of ships. Once every eight to ten days there are small fishing and grain boats that go to Crete, and a few to Athens.”
I placed my face in my palms and rubbed my stubble. The second man, much younger, pleasant, and courteous, spoke up. “There may be another way. Did you come here from where you disembarked?”
“Yes.”
He looked at us without another word. And then he ruffled the hair of his naked little daughter who came running and placed her on his lap. She hid her face in the nook of his neck and peeked from the corner.
They all smelled pleasant—like they had rubbed an aromatic oil on their bodies.
Eurydice smiled at the little girl, and she smiled back.
“You have not gone up the mountains?” He asked.
“Which mountains?”
“The ones you said you saw when you climbed the cliffs.”
“Ah, yes. They looked desolate.”
“There is an old, but a larger colony on a hill behind what you saw.”
“Who are the settlers, and will they accommodate us?”
“Spartans. We have not been there in years—bad blood—but the town has grown, and there is some trade.”
“What is the best way to get there?”
“Skirt along the eastern edge until you reach the hills. Or if you prefer to stay hidden, go the way you came and proceed eastward.” He was confident and clear in his instructions. I believed him.
“How long will it take?”
“A full day to reach the base. And then half once you begin the climb, or more, depending on how fit you are.”
The little girl was now on Eurydice’s lap and was examining her earrings.
“Are t
here any other villages on the way, aggressive ones?” I asked as I looked around to make sure they were not lulling us into a trap.
“None. The island has only two settlements. Here, and Thera. Rest of it is not conducive.”
“Thera?”
“That is the name of the old town on the mountain,” he said, as he gestured his daughter to go to her mother.
We rested for the night, courtesy of Kadmos and the villagers. They were very interested in hearing about Alexander’s campaign. For these isolated people, the stories of Babylonia, Persia, and India was mesmerizing. I may have exaggerated a few details of my heroism, but there was no one to contradict me.
Eurydice rolled her eyes and wrinkled her nose at times, but I paid no heed.
Late in the night, I walked out of the hut to stare up, and what a spectacular sight it was. Absolute darkness around us, the sounds of the seas below, and innumerable stars twinkled above. I have often wondered what they are, and the truth eludes me. Are they souls of the dead? Are they distant giant fireflies? Or are they more Suns, just like our own, but only much further away?
I prayed to Poseidon to help us decode the ancient scribe’s tantalizing clues.
ALEXANDRIA
❅
Nekh-Aser sat in a tent with his men. They had been loyal so far—though a couple of them had objected to his ways. He would deal with them later. The old man had misdirected him, and he had spent days looking for Deon and Eurydice outside Alexandria, but it was as if they had vanished. No one in the surrounding villages had the slightest idea. He had then returned to Alexandria to check again, and the last few days had yielded little.
But today that had changed. The fat man who had pointed him to the grain ship was back again and said he had news. It was a pleasant evening. They had set up a tent near the shores away from the main harbor. Nearby, laborers paved the way for the most magnificent pathway that ran east-to-west. The news was that Ptolemy would soon shift his headquarters from Memphis to Alexandria. The din was maddening yet comforting.
Thefeni sat on a plush cushion along with his assistant. Nekh-Aser tried to project professionalism, though he would have preferred to whip Thefeni.
“News?” Nekh-Aser uttered the word under his contraption.
“Indeed. Indeed. A most interesting one,” said Thefeni, rubbing his palms.
